The Imperial Crow
by Northwoods Dude
Summary: Sometimes something so terrible happens when a soul cannot move on because of the actions of other people. When this happens an ancient spirit, whose sole purpose is to move them to the other side, gives them the power to bring vengeance upon those that wronged them. They are called, The Crows.


"Hey Sayo! Ieyasu!" Tatsumi yelled.

"Over here!" Sayo yelled back. Shortly afterwards her and Ieyasu appeared, each with an arm full of wood. "Wow, the mayor sure is going to be happy with the amount of wood we're going to bring him."

"When I make a name for myself in the Capital we'll never have to collect wood ever again." Ieyasu confidently said.

"That's if you don't get killed before we leave tomorrow." Sayo said happily.

"Why do you have to be so morbid Sayo, jezzz." Ieyasu yelled as Tatsumi was laughing in the background.

They continued to banter with each other while they approached their village. When they arrived into the village they noticed that it was a little more empty and quiet than usual. Then they came across an older resident of the village. Mrs. Stevens. "Hi Mrs. Stevens." Tatsumi said in a pleasant and respectful tone.

The old woman, Mrs. Stevens, looked at them, "What are you three doing? Get inside and hide before they see you!" She yelled then scampered away.

"What was that about?" Ieyasu asked.

"I dunno. Maybe she's just having another delusion." Tatsumi said. "We should probably bring these over to the mayor's home now." He said and the three continued onwards to the Mayor's house.

They came within sight of the village square where the mayor lived, but it was all but empty. The only people in the square were a handful of soldiers, three men wearing a black version of an Imperial officer's coat, a man dressed in a tan colored robe, and the mayor.

Tatsumi turned to the others and whispered. "Get down!"

They all crept down and started to listen in on the conversation. "I promise I'll pay the taxes. I just need some more time." The Mayor said in a manner similar to begging.

"Oh yes I've heard that a thousand times. Please just a little more time, just one more month, Seryu please don't cut my head off." The robed man said. "Well honestly I'm sick of it." I think that we need to make some examples so the next village knows that I actually mean business." He turned to his men, "Do it." Instantly one of the black coated officers withdrew a sword and stabbed the Mayor in the chest.

Looking at the dying Mayor, Sayo and Ieyasu panicked and ran from the scene. Being left on his own Tatsumi ran after them. However before he left he heard the words. "Get them." Knowing they would have soldiers on them in moments Tatsumi only began to run faster towards his friends.

He finally reached them, "Hey they're going to follow us we have to go down to the river." The other's didn't respond but nodded their heads in agreement.

A short while later they stopped to catch their breathe. Ieyasu was the one who broke the silence. "Why are they doing thi…" Suddenly he was interrupted by a rifle shot and a pool of red liquid forming on his chest.

Ieyasu collapsed to the ground. "Ieyasu!" Tatsumi yelled as he approached the body. "Hey wake up we've gotta get out of this place." He shook the body of his friend. "We need to get away from...from these animals." He said as tears began to form in his eye.

"Tatsumi." He turned to Sayo. "We need to go or they'll catch us." She said grabbing his hand.

"Yeah, let's go." He said standing up and turning back in the direction they were going. But he soon felt a massive pain in his chest. When he looked there was a soldier with a bayonet standing in front of him. When they bayonet was pulled from his chest he collapsed and felt completely paralyzed.

Sayo began screaming. "Hey look at this one ain't she a beauty!" One of the soldiers said.

"It'd be a waste just to kill her now." Another said and shortly thereafter Tatsumi could hear fabric tearing and Sayo continued screaming.

This time a third soldier wearing one of the black coats appeared. He was the one who killed the mayor. "Sorry for their poor execution." He said to Tatsumi realizing he was still alive. "I presume that I'll finish the task." The officer brought the sword up and rested on his chest. "In the name of my master, I do this task." He felt his sword plunge into his chest and everything slowly started to turn black.

-x-

Tatsumi felt a sudden jolt awaken him. He started to breathe rapidly but soon discovered that he was in snowbank. Slowly but surely he started to dig himself out. Eventually he pushed all of the snow away from himself he stood up for the first time in what felt like forever and his completely stiff body. It was snow pretty heavily, it was difficult trying see past a few feet. "Where am I?" He muttered to himself.

 _ **AHHHH!**_ He looked over and saw a dark figure and a crow outlined in the distance. _**AHHHHH!**_

Slowly but surely his memory began to return. "Sayo!" He said and faced where he last saw her. Her body was laid up against a tree with her throat slit and much of her clothing ripped off of her. Grief stricken Tatsumi dropped to his knees and began to cry. "What happened?" He said as he began to clench his heart. When he reached for his heart though he discovered that there was a cut in the fabric of his clothing.

"I...I remember everything." He said to himself and suddenly a massive surge of hatred began to wash over him as if it had flooded. But it quickly turned to anguish at the thought of his village. He broke into a sprint towards his home and soon arrived to the place he had grown up.

It was a ruin. Simply put it was destroyed, buildings were sacked or half fallen apart. Most spots were covered in snow. Although the worst part was in the town's square. The same place where he had seen the mayor be killed, there was a pike sticking out of the ground with a skull on it. One for everyone who lived in his small village.

Tatsumi fell to his knees. Shortly afterwards he could feel tears begin to well in his eyes. "I...I can't believe it...everyone is dead...except...for me."

"I wouldn't be to quick on the draw there if I were you kid." A deep voice said to him from behind himself. Tatsumi quickly jumped up and looked at it. It was definitely the figure from before. Although now he could get a much better look at him. He wore regalia similar to the infamous "Cowboys" of western legends. His skin was decayed and in many areas you could see his bones.

"W...who are you?" Tatsumi asked.

"What or who I am isn't important. What is important is what you are." The figure said to him.

"What do you mean. I'm me, just a regular human." Tatsumi defended himself.

The figure let loose a low chuckle. "Not anymore." Tatsumi clenched back at the statement. "Sorry to be the barer of bad news, but you're dead kid."

Tatsumi stepped back in a daze of shock. "How, I...I'm here. I'm alive!" He shouted to figure.

"Christ!" The figure yelled. "Why can I never get a cooperative one." The figure stood there for the briefest of moments unmoving. "Feel your heart." He said.

Tatsumi said reaching for his wrist to check his pulse. "I doubt this wi…" Although to his horror his pulse was dead silent. "No. NO! NO! NO!" He started to yell and back away from the figure. "I can't be dead!"

The figure shook his head. "Why does this always happen?" He withdrew a revolver. "Sorry kid."

"No! Don't!" Tatsumi yelled, but it fell on deaf ears. The revolver fired and the bullet whizzed through his chest. Tatsumi recoiled, "You dumb bastard! What the hell!"

"Stop being a wuss and feel for a second." The figure said walking closer to Tatsumi.

Tatsumi then suddenly realized something. He couldn't feel the pain the bullet should have caused. He pulled his hand away and looked at it for signs of blood that weren't there. After he learnt of the lack of blood he turned his attention to the wound. As he looked he looked just in time to see it close and the bullet fall free from the now completely healed wound. "What am I?" He looked back up to where the figure had stood. He was gone.

Now Tatsumi's mind returned to returned to those men. Those that had put his village to the slaughter. With these powers he could bring vengeance on them. Suddenly the Raven landed in front of him. The bird looked at him and let loose a loud, " _ **AHHHH!**_ " For some reason Tatsumi felt an instant connection to it. He couldn't explain it but this bird felt like part of him. Or he was part of it.

Tatsumi then turned his attention back to the matter at hand. ' _If I am going to fight them, I'll need a weapon. Even in my state of undeath I'll need a sword.'_ He thought for a moment. ' _If I remember right, the Mayor kept a sword hidden in his home. I hope he doesn't mind to much if I take it.'_ Tatsumi made his way to the old man's home. Upon entering he quickly searched the homestead and found the sword. On his way out of the mayor's home he passed mirror. Upon seeing his reflection he noticed his clothes were destroyed. He needed a fresh pair of clothing. He remembered the mayor was fond of black clothing. If he had some clothes left, perhaps he could manage to find something that might fit.

He looked through the mayor's old wardrobe and found some acceptable apparel. Black shirt, black pants, and a black waistcoat. It surprisingly fit...for the most part. Now he was ready to go. Except for one issue. His face. It stood out. He didn't look as intimidating as he could potentially be. He looked at the Raven that was perched on the mayor's pld bed. Then, an idea quickly sprung into his head, he grabbed some black and white face paint that the mayor had and applied it in the form of a black bird soaring across a white sky.

He was ready to leave, but then he passed something. A wooden idol. It was a raven that had been put onto a pendant. To his people, there were stories as old as their elders of the Raven, the god of vengeance, giving people the power to destroy those that unjustly wronged them. Tatsumi thought of his Raven and the "Skull Cowboy" as he slipped the pendant around his neck.

From this moment onward he would become known to the people of the Empire as, the Crow.


End file.
